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Ambulance

Update: 11 killed, 40 injured in explosion at Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt


RT
Sun, 09 Apr 2017 12:05 UTC
Explosion in Alexandria
© Google Maps
An explosion has occurred in front of St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Alexandria, killing six and injuring 21 according to Egypt's Health Ministry as cited by the AP. This follows a suspected bomb attack in Tanta, Egypt earlier Sunday morning.

Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria, had finished celebrating Palm Sunday mass and had left the scene when the explosion took place. He is reported unhurt.

The Egypt Independent reported a heightened security presence and that authorities had been placed on alert in anticipation of such attacks on Palm Sunday.


Comment: Update: RT is reporting that ISIS has claimed responsibility for both attacks:
This follows another suicide bomb attack in Tanta, Egypt earlier Sunday morning. ISIS have claimed responsibility for both bomb attacks in Egypt.

See also: At least 21 dead, 38 injured in coptic church bombing north of Cairo

Update (April 19): A suspect has been detained:
A man suspected of having links to organization of the deadly terror attacks in the Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria was detained by the country's police, local media reported.

Ali Mahmud Mohammed Hasan, who was detained on Tuesday, was included in the list of 19 persons suspected of organizing the attacks, the Veto media outlet reported.

On April 9, powerful explosions hit Coptic churches in the Egyptian cities of Tanta and Alexandria, with the Islamic State (IS) terror group, outlawed in Russia, claiming responsibility for the attacks. The blast in Alexandria claimed at least 18 lives, while the explosion in Tanta left at least 30 dead. Police have already arrested three people suspected of organizing the attacks.

On the same day Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency.


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Beaker

US, Aussie military advisors hit by ISIS chemical attack in Mosul


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 18:45 UTC
Chemicals used by Islamic State militants to produce bombs are seen in Mosul, Iraq, April 12, 2017
© Marko Djurica / ReutersChemicals used by Islamic State militants to produce bombs are seen in Mosul, Iraq, April 12, 2017
The Iraqi unit targeted on Sunday in a chemical weapons attack in Mosul was hosting embedded foreign military specialists, according to officials and media reports. American and Australian troops were unharmed by the toxic agent used by Islamic State.

The attack in western Mosul was the second in two days. According to CBS News, 25 people required medical treatment in the aftermath, which is significantly larger than the figure voiced earlier by Iraqi officials. Earlier reports said six soldiers were sent to a field hospital after having breathing problems.

Australian military advisers were involved in the attack by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), the country's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull confirmed on Wednesday.

"My advice right at the moment is that no Australian troops were affected by the chemical attack," he told ABC radio.

Comment: See also: ISIS launches second chemical attack in Mosul in 2 days, injures 6 Iraqi soldiers

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Sheriff

Ohio cop shoots himself, blames drug addicts, statewide manhunt ensues - based on lies

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 16:19 UTC
Brian Eubanks
On April 11, Newcomerstown police launched a massive statewide "Blue Alert" manhunt for two suspects who allegedly opened fire on officer Brian Eubanks. Departments statewide combed the streets looking for two men in a black Geo Tracker, one, wearing a red sweatshirt, and the other was wearing a lime green shirt. One was in a tactical vest and they were armed with a shotgun and handguns, the attorney general's office said. Authorities even had a suspect's name, Chaz Gillilan.

Social media took to sharing the story and prayers were sent the officer's way. Local media kept the town updated on Eubanks' status and the town was relieved when they found out he would make a full recovery.

But everyone — the police departments, the state politicians, the media, and the citizens — had all been duped.

Chaz Gillilan never shot at Eubanks, nor did the other mythical suspect. No, Eubanks shot Eubanks. That's right. The blue alert, the statewide manhunt, the deprivation of Chaz Gillilan's rights, all of these happened because officer Eubanks shot himself — in an apparent failed suicide attempt — and then fabricated an elaborate story to cover it up.
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People

Blue on blue: Police unions teargassed as they storm Brazilian Congress over proposed pension reform


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 16:13 UTC
A protest by Police officers against pension reforms in Brazil
© Fabio Pozzebom / AFP A protest by Police officers against pension reforms in Brazil April 18, 2017.
Members of police trade unions clashed with congressional security officials in the Brazilian capital as they attempted to break into the parliament building to protest against pension reforms. The building's security personnel deployed pepper spray and tear gas.

The incident took place on Tuesday, when hundreds of members of police unions gathered in front of the congressional building in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, Reuters reported. The demonstrators then clashed with police guarding Brazil's Chamber of Deputies. Police deployed tear gas and pepper spray against the protesters, local media reported.

"There was a demonstration with about 3,000 federal police officers. When they filed a petition asking for the removal of deputy Arthur Maia, who is processing the [pension] reform, about 100 police tried to enter the chamber and the legislative police acted to contain them and deployed gas bombs," an adviser from Union de Policías de Brazil (UPB) told AFP.
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Chart Pie

UNICEF: 40% of Spanish children live in poverty


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 14:53 UTC
Children in Madrid, Spain
© Susana Vera/Reuters
Child poverty is on the rise in wealthy countries as a result of the 2008 economic crisis and years of austerity, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Spain has the EU's third highest rate of child poverty, after Romania and Greece.

Statistics show the proportion of children living below the poverty line in Spain increased by nine percentage points between 2008 and 2014, to reach almost 40 percent.

The sharpest increase (56 percent) was among households of four people (two adults and two children) living on less than €700 per month (or €8,400 per year).

Spain has been hit hard by the global economic crisis with one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe, and that has trickled down to impacting the well-being of its youngest citizens.
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Bulb

China's nighttime light levels reveal surprising tempo of economic growth


RT
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 15:30 UTC
Beijing and Tianjin in a nighttime photograph
© earthobservatory.nasa.govBeijing and Tianjin in a nighttime photograph taken by astronauts on the International Space Station, 2010.
Official economic data from China may substantially underestimate the actual performance of the country, according to the latest report by the Massachusetts-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

The authors of the study used an unusual method of using satellites to track and record nighttime lights in China as an indicator of the state of the world's second-largest economy.

According to the research, the Chinese economy is performing better than official data indicates.

"We see that our methodology predicts Chinese GDP growth to have been lower than official estimates before the crisis of 2008, to have experienced a shallower decline in 2008 and a stronger recovery in 2009 and 2010, and to have stabilized at a higher level after 2011," the economists say.
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Piggy Bank

44% of Americans don't pay any federal income tax

Catey Hill
Money-ish
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 14:42 UTC
Tax day poster
Many Americans won't owe the government a dime today.

More than four in 10 American households (44.3%) — or upwards of 76 million — didn't pay any income tax to the federal government last year, according to data for 2016 from the Tax Policy Center. This year that number is expected to be roughly the same, at 43.9%.

Most of these people aren't paying income taxes because they either don't have any income that is taxable (many fall below the poverty line), or because they get enough tax breaks and don't owe the government money. Common tax breaks include the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit (EITC), and the exclusion of some or all Social Security income, explains Roberton Williams of the Tax Policy Center.
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Gold Bar

Analysts predict gold prices will continue to climb due to geopolitical tensions


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 14:33 UTC
Gold bars
© Leonhard Foeger / Reuters
The price of gold has risen 12 percent this year, and the surge will only continue, according to bank Intesa Sanpaolo, marked by Bloomberg as the best forecaster for the metal last quarter. Analysts at Saxo Bank agree.

The precious metal approached $1,300 per troy ounce on Tuesday before retreating to $1,283 on Wednesday.

Intesa analyst Daniela Corsini told Bloomberg prices could fall in mid-year as the US Federal Reserve hikes interest rates, but they are likely to bounce back, reaching $1,350 an ounce at year-end.

"Markets will surely remain nervous about this uncertainty. And if economic data in the US remains strong, then gold will regain its role as an inflation hedge," she told the media.
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Handcuffs

LAPD to emphasize de-escalation in new use-of-force rules


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:59 UTC
LAPD officer
© Kevork Djansezian / Reuters
The Los Angeles Police Department has enacted new shooting policies that call on officers to avoid resorting to deadly force by de-escalating situations with the public. Under the policies, officers could face more scrutiny over shootings.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners voted to approve policies that would amend the LAPD manual of policies and procedures by adding two sentences to the use-of-force policies.

The first change amends the preamble, adding a sentence that requires officers to "control an incident by using time, distance, communications and available resources in an effort to de-escalate the situation, whenever it is safe and reasonable to do so."
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Cookies

Russia's agriculture sector booming despite or thanks to international sanctions


RT
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 12:45 UTC
Wheat plant
© Ilya Naymushin / Reuters
There's a world of opportunities for investors in Russia's agriculture commodities market with farming in the country flourishing under international sanctions.

Following the Western penalties imposed on Russian companies in 2014 and subsequent countersanctions introduced by Moscow in response, some local officials took the opportunity to boost the development of domestic production. Many Russian enterprises managed to encourage import substitution and made exports more competitive.

Despite doubts expressed by traders and economists, that optimism has turned out to be justified on at least one economic front - agriculture and related sectors.
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